site.bta"We Achieved the Trail that President Radev Blazed" in Russia - Prime Minister Borissov

Sofia, June 8 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov appeared in Parliament on Friday for Question Time for the first time in almost a year now.

Replying to a question from Anton Koutev MP of BSP for Bulgaria about the results of his recent visit to Moscow, paid shortly after President Rumen Radev conferred with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Borissov said: "We achieved the same trail that President Radev blazed. I went to see what had been blazed and found nothing".

"You offer us to work together, and I accept," the PM said, addressing the opposition Socialists.

Koutev rejoined that "you seem to have attended different meetings with Mr Putin because the Council of Ministers' official press release is poles apart from what the Kremlin said." "You're talking about a transit of 35 billion cu m of gas through Bulgaria, whereas [Kremlin Spokesman] Dmitry Peskov denied that an agreement on gas supply to Bulgaria from Turkish Stream had been reached," Koutev specified. "None of the Council of Ministers' press release matches what Putin said, let alone Peskov. You simply do not understand those people, your manner of communication is completely different from theirs," he commented.

Borissov recalled that his session with President Putin lasted three hours, moreover with the assistance of an interpreter. "I can't agree with you that I didn't make head or tail of what he was saying, and it was broadcast live," he added.

The head of Government specified that the contract for gas supply with Russia is valid until 2030. What was discussed in Moscow was an additional quantity of gas that will reach Bulgaria, and ways must be found to pipe this gas via Bulgaria to Serbia, Hungary, Macedonia and Greece in compliance with the EU Third Liberalization Package. "That's where the problem between the European Commission and Russia lies," he pointed out. Borissov said that ministers, European Commission officials and Gazprom executives will meet in Belgrade on June 13 to decide how part of the gas would be traded on Bulgarian territory and contract the rest directly with Serbia and Hungary.

"We had a three-hour-long best-intentioned conversation, and when he [Putin] comes to Bulgaria later this year, I will ask him to explain to you in Russian what he thinks," Borissov promised the Left parliamentary group.

To Koutev's retort that Borissov stands nothing to gain by pulling Radev's leg because the head of State has a higher approval rating than his, the Prime Minister replied that GERB has a higher rating than the BSP, and National Ombudsman Maya Manolova has a higher rating than President Radev.